10 books about China

Books and traveling are basic for me to see a country on different levels: social, political, economic, geographic or cultural. Reading helps me to connect realities that I see on the field whenever I am working or traveling around a country.

China has always fascinated me, despite its many contradictions and problems. In the past years, I have read many books about China: I bought some of them, while others have been borrowed from public libraries. Although it is not easy to understand a country and civilization as complex as China, books about China allow us to analyze some of the changes that the country has undergone in recent decades, facing the key facts of the twentieth century, and the new reality that has occurred during the first two decades of the twenty first century, with the country emerging as a major economic and political power on the global stage.

I have written here a list of ten books that I would recommend for an initial understanding about China. The list is interesting and diverse in coverage, as they range History, Business, Politics and Society:

• On China by Henry Kissinger: This is a look at foreign policy, particularly at international and political relations between China and the United States, based on the experience of the US diplomat. Nixon's first visit to China, US relations with Chinese leaders Mao and Deng Xiaoping are key facts of the last decades of the 20th century.
• Age of Ambition. Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China by Evan Osnos: A book that analyzes the changes that China is experiencing, on the social and political levels. In the book, the complex relations of government with society are highlighted, citing as examples the situations faced by critical dissidents of the government.
• The End of Cheap China by Shaun Rein. China is no longer the world's factory and is no longer a cheap place to manufacture. It speaks of the constant reality of rising wages in China, which, when weighed against competence, productivity and organized supply chains, will not point to continued low cost production in China. There is also the reality of China's commitment to research and development in a bid to be known less as copycat and more for improvement and innovation. Also, investment movements of Chinese companies in other countries, whether Asia or the West, point also but its own need to address the local demand of its huge population.
• China, INC. How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World by Ted Fishman: A very complete look at China in which it analyzes the boom as a country, but also of the Chinese global companies and the new world order in which the old Middle Kingdom is already a main protagonist.
• Chindia. How China and India Are Revolutionizing Global Business by Peter Engardio. A book that explores the rise of two emerging countries like China and India, analyzing some distinguishing features that help to understand the two Asian giants.
• China Disruptors. How Alibaba, Xiaomi, Tencent, and Other Companies are Changing the Rules of Business by Edward Tse: A look at some of China's most recognized technological entrepreneurs in companies such as Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu and Xiaomi.
• The Chinese Dream. The Rise of the World's Largest Middle Class and What It Means to You by Helen Wang: A lucid look at the new Chinese middle class, with its realities and circumstances, a work that shows us some of the enormous changes that China has experienced in the past decades.
• The Dragon and the Foreign Devils: China and the World, 1100 B.C. to the Present by Harry G. Gelber: A historical summary of China over the last two millennia. Dynasties, key facts, conflicts, and social, geographic and economic changes are also analyzed, and there is also room to see China's complex relationship with foreign countries, both Asian and Western.
• China Safari: On the Trail of Beijing's Expansion in Africa by Serge Michel and Michel Beuret: A book that explains the implantation of China on the African continent, with its political, social and economic realities. French journalists tell us from the field how China's tentacles reach the African continent, almost always in search of raw materials.
• The One Hour China Book by Jeffrey Towson and Jonathan Woetzel: Two experienced teachers and consultants in China write of stories that help to understand the country on many levels: socio-economic and business primarily, but also culturally. The original bestseller has been followed with two others: The One hour China Consumer Book, and The One Hour China Contrarian Book.

All the books in the above list provide great pages about a country full of contradictions, yet continues to put many, like me, in fascination.

I am an Agricultural/Food Engineer passionate about Agribusiness,Asia, International Affairs, and Travelling. I write often on my blogs www.ciudadanoenelmundo.com , www.viajaprende.com , www.leeryviajar.com . You can also follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/ivanmarcos